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World's Largest Six Pack and King of Beer

In the late 1960s the G. Heileman Brewery built six large storage tanks at its plant in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Whether by design or a bolt of inspiration, the tanks were soon painted to resemble cans of Heileman's Old Style Lager beer, and the sextet was proclaimed the "World's Largest Six Pack." Images of the sixer traveled the globe on postcards sold in the Heileman gift shop, which was part of the brewery tour.

Thirty years later, however, the brewery was sold and shut down. In 2000 the empty tanks were painted white -- a poor job, with the Old Style Lager labels still visible underneath. But the idea of using a giant can to represent a giant can was too good to die. It lived on in less-impressive efforts and in at least one poorly-thought-through imitation.

The new owners of the brewery finally realized that a six pack of giant cans was a superior architectural gag. So in 2003 they brought back the World's Largest Six Pack, with a new brand of giant beer -- La Crosse Lager -- to advertise.

It's an imperfect sequel, as sequels often are. The new labels are wallpapered on, not painted, which makes it a somewhat lazy claim to fame (although certainly better than an inflatable). And the plant now makes tea, soda, and energy drinks as well as beer. The World's Largest Six Pack might not even be filled with brew on the day that you visit.

Old Style sixer, 1985.

Still, it certainly looks like a giant six pack of beer, and a helpful sign in front says that it would fill over 7 million twelve-ounce cans, which "would provide one person a six-pack a day for 3,351 years."

Adding to the atmosphere is a colorful statue of Gambrinus, "King of Beer," who stands across the street hoisting a golden goblet of suds. An accompanying plaque, green with age (and still bearing the logo of Heileman's Old Style Lager), calls Gambrinus, "a valiant soldier of the 15th century" and credits him with inventing beer. Gambrinus weighs a ton and stands 15 feet tall, with one foot propped on a keg, his eyes goggled in awe of his towering neighbor.

The king was purchased in 1939 from a brewery in New Orleans that went out of business during Prohibition. In March 2015 his sword arm was torn off by three unbalanced late night drunks posing for a photo -- the horror was captured on CCTV footage. The King was removed in April 2015, his body parts were used to create an exact replica, and the new Gambrinus was returned to his original spot in July 2017.

The gift shop and brewery tours have been revived and discontinued several times by the new owners (they're currently discontinued). But the King makes a worthy photo-op, and the real reason to come here has always been the Six Pack, once again a source of pride for La Crosse, and a mandatory stop for any college road trip through Wisconsin.

World's Largest Six Pack and King of Beer

I-90 exit 3 onto US Hwy 53/Hwy 35 (La Crosse). Drive south, following US Hwy 53, for 4.5 miles. US Hwy 53 becomes 3rd St. Stay on 3rd St. The six-pack is four blocks south of the intersection of US Hwy 61/Cass St and US Hwy 14/Cameron Ave., on the east side. King Gambrinus is across the street.